During one of the hottest summers on record, Dr Temperance Brennan is haunted by a string of horrifying events.

First, the bones of a newborn baby are discovered in a wood stove. The mother is nowhere to be found.

Next, a plane flies into a rock face. The dead pilot and passenger are burned beyond recognition, and covered in an unknown substance.

And then a store of bones is found in a remote corner of the county. What has happened, and who will be the next victim? The answers lie hidden deep within the bones - but Tempe must find them in time to stop further disaster.